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Silver Facts & Worksheets

Silver is a chemical element in the Periodic Table of Elements. Silver is represented by the symbol Ag and has the atomic number of 47.

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Silver is a chemical element in the Periodic Table of Elements. Silver is represented by the symbol Ag and has the atomic number of 47. Silver, physically, is known to be a soft, white, lustrous transition metal. Silver is known to have the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal.

See the fact file below for more information on the silver or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Silver worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

WHERE DOES ITS NAME COME FROM?

  • In Anglo-Saxon, the earliest form of English Language, the word silver appears in various spellings like seolfor and siolfor.
  • In the Germanic Languages, the family of languages spoken in Indo-Europe and North America, a similar form of the word is found, such as in Old High German, silabar and silbir.
  • The chemical symbol of Silver, Ag, came from the latin word for “silver”, argentum, from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning “white” or “shining”, which was the usual Proto-Indo-European word for silver.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND CHEMICAL COMPONENTS

  • Silver is a metal that is known for being extremely soft, ductile (can be drawn into wires), and malleable (can be hammered into sheets, however, it is less malleable than gold).
  • Silver is a transition metal so it belongs in group 11 of the periodic table of elements, making it possess similar properties with its vertical neighbors in the periodic table: copper and gold.
  • Silver has a brilliant white metallic luster and could be greatly polished without being damaged or breaking.
  • Because of such distinct physical characteristics, the name of the metal itself has become a name of its color.
  • Silver as a color, refers to a color of metallic gray or resembling polished silver.
  • Silver’s electrical conductivity, its property to allow electricity to flow, is the highest not only among the elements in the group 11 of the periodic table, but among all metals.
  • Silver easily forms an alloy with gold, copper, and zinc.

HISTORY OF SILVER

  • The history of how silver was discovered is forever lost in history, as it is one of what is called seven metals of antiquity, metals that have been found and used by mankind since prehistoric times.
  • Silver, along with copper and gold, naturally formed underground in its elemental form (its pure metallic form), therefore, it was used as the first primitive forms of money.
  • The earliest coins made up of an alloy of silver and gold are found and minted in the kingdom of Lydia and Asia Minor around 600 B.C.
  • During the 15th century B.C., silver was more expensive than gold, as it is kept more often than gold for its highly reactive property.
  • The Egyptians are thought to have separated gold from silver by heating the metals with salt, and then reducing the silver chloride produced to the metal.
  • However, it changed when the process of cupellation was discovered, in which the ores are exposed to high temperatures, a technique that allowed silver metal to be extracted from its ores.
  • Silver has many uses as it plays certain roles in mythology and folklore.
  • Hesiod, the Greek poet, mentions silver in his Works and Days as he lists different ages of man named after metals like gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as a metaphor for successive ages of humanity.
  • Silver was thought to have mystical powers in the folklore. A bullet made of silver is believed to be the only weapon to defeat a werewolf and a witch.
  • A reference to cupellation occured in the Old Testament of the Bible, as in Jeremiah’s rebuke to Judah: “The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away. Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them.” (Jeremiah 6:19–20)

APPLICATIONS

  • Silver is widely used in jewelry and silverware.
  • Aside from coinage, silver was widely used in jewelry throughout history. However, it is not only the most prestigious items are made of silver, but also everyday items such as cutlery.
  • Silverware succeeded for silver’s antibacterial properties.
  • Silver is used to make musical instruments, such as the western concert flute, which is usually plated with or made out of sterling silver.
  • Pure silver is extremely soft so it is usually alloyed with copper.
  • In the field of medicine, silver is incorporated into wound dressings and used as an antibiotic coating in medical devices.
  • Silver is also used in some medical applications, such as urinary catheters and in endotracheal breathing tubes.
  • Silver is very important in electronics for conductors and electrodes because of its high electrical conductivity, even when silver is tarnished.

Silver Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about silver across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Silver worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the silver which is a chemical element in the Periodic Table of Elements. Silver is represented by the symbol Ag and has the atomic number of 47. Silver, physically, is known to be a soft, white, lustrous transition metal. Silver is known to have the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Silver Facts
  • Silver Corrector
  • Spot The Silver
  • Fill In History
  • What’s In A Name?
  • Silver Uses Checklist
  • Similar to Silver
  • Metals Of Antiquity
  • Like Silver
  • Something Silver
  • Song About Silver

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Link will appear as Silver Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 26, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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